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Commissioners Address Noxious Weed Issue

The Cheyenne County Commissioners discussed approaches to controlling weeds in the county Monday.

The issue is how to control specific weeds that may be added to the county’s noxious weed list while on a limited budget. Specifically, the commissioners talked with Weed Superintendent Cris Burks regarding the impact of Canadian thistle, dalmatian toadflax and bindweed.

Common Mullein is a biennial plant with grayish white, woolly leaves. It is listed as a noxious weed in Colorado with the USDA listing its presence in northeast Colorado adjacent to Cheyenne County, Neb.

“It reduces the value of property greatly,” said Randy Matthewson, a property owner in Cheyenne County.

The Dalmation Toadflax is believed to be toxic to cattle and horses, according to discussion between the commissioners and Burks. The good news, according to Burks, there is little enough of the weed that authorities should be able to control it.

Linaria dalmatica, the scientific name for Dalmatian Toadflax, is native to Western Asia and southeastern Europe. According to the USDA, it is a perennial that has been introduced to most of the United States and Canada. According to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Dalmatian Toadflax is toxic to cattle and other livestock. However, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture reports cattle avoid Dalmatian toadflax so there are few reports of livestock poisoning.

Common mullein is best controlled while the population density is low, according to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cropwatch.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture lists Canada Thistle as a noxious weed.

One of the issues is when commissioner is when a motor grader operator reportedly scraped recently treated weeds. The action resulted in a waste of private and county funds and time, according to commissioner Philip Sanders.

The commissioners also approved a contract with the University of Nebraska for a summer intern at the Cheyenne County Extension Agency.

A request by Randy Mathewson to vacate part of a road was tabled until the area could be inspected.

County Attorney Paul Schaub updated the commissioners on plans by the City of Sidney to purchase new landfill equipment. Cheyenne County will be the financial conduit for the City to secure financial bonds. Schaub also told the commissioners of a financial commitment letter from NEMA for the new emergency siren at Sunol. The commitment from the county is 25 percent of the project, about $4,300.

Both issues were approved by the commissioners.

At the end of meeting, an executive session was called by commissioner Sanders for personnel matters. An executive session was not on the agenda.

 

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